Tag: garlic salt

Combination of chicken, veggies, herbs more than just fair

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 18, 2023

Crescent roll chicken pot pie casserole comes together quickly and features lots of great flavors from some fresh vegetables, along with plenty of herbs. It makes for a fantastic weeknight meal.

We have a friend we lovingly refer to as “the human jukebox.”

He has a ton of songs floating around in his head, and all it takes to get him to launch into one is to subtly mention a lyric.

Joey and I sometimes make a game of seeing if we can make a comment that will result in him humming, whistling or singing the song later on, after it’s invaded his subconscious. He always rolls his eyes and feigns annoyance when we bust up laughing at the outset of his tune.

My secret, though, is I tend to be a bit of a human jukebox myself, especially when I’m cooking with a particular set of herbs as I was this week: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

Simon and Garfunkel get me every time.

Getting “Scarborough Fair” stuck in my head this week was completely my own fault, though, as I decided to add a ton of seasonings to a chicken crescent roll casserole recipe I found in order to transform it into a chicken pot pie-inspired dish.

The recipe I started with comes from the blog “The Seasoned Mom” by Blair Lonergan. You can find the original post at https://www.theseasonedmom.com/crescent-roll-chicken-casserole. I added quite a few ingredients in my version.

Crescent Roll Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Crescent roll chicken pot pie casserole comes together quickly and features lots of great flavors from some fresh vegetables, along with plenty of herbs. It makes for a fantastic weeknight meal.

Course Main Course

Keyword carrots, celery, cream of chicken, crescent roll dough, garlic, garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, parsley, peas, rosemary, sage, shredded cheese, shredded chicken, thyme, yellow onion

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 celery stalks diced
3 medium carrots diced
1/4 yellow onion diced
6-8 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken shredded
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon sage
garlic salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces refrigerated crescent roll dough

Sauce Ingredients

10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots and onion, and saute until the vegetables are soft.
Add in the garlic and peas, and saute for another couple of minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the chicken, cheese, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, garlic salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
Roll out and separate the triangles of crescent roll dough, and place a spoonful of the chicken mixture into the center of each, loosely rolling the dough around it, and place the filled dough into the prepared baking dish. It’s OK if they are touching. (If you have extra filling after you’re done with the dough, just sprinkle it around in the pan.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown.
While they bake, add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk or stir until the cheese melts.
When the rolls are baked through, pour the sauce on the top, and place the casserole back in the oven for five to 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly.
Serve immediately.

This is really saucy. You could easily get away with doubling the filling, getting an extra can of crescent rolls and using a nine-by-13-inch dish instead—while using the same amount of sauce.

I didn’t mind the extra creamy sauce along with the vegetables and buttery dough, though, so it’s all about what you like.

Of course, the addition of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme complimented the chicken and veggies nicely, too. That combo is a true love of mine.

This piece first appeared in print on May 18, 2023.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Tags 30-minute dinner, carrots, casserole, celery, cream of chicken, crescent roll dough, easy dinner, garlic, garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, parsley, peas, rosemary, sage, shredded cheese, shredded chicken, thyme, yellow onion

Main Dish Soup

This creamy chicken soup was fabulous, ‘gnocchi’dding

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 4, 2023

Chicken gnocchi soup is a creamy, Italian-style soup that features tons of flavor from fresh vegetables, lots of garlic, chicken and soft, pillowy gnocchi.

This past weekend, Joey found whole chickens on sale and proceeded to put three on his smoker.

I told him I wanted to try a different way to make stock from the bones, once he was done pulling the meat, and he graciously put the pieces into my large crockpot for me.

Normally, we make stock on the stove, but after seeing several people online make it in their crockpots, I wanted to give it a shot, especially since the last time we made stock, our entire kitchen felt a bit like a sauna from all the boiling liquid. That’s a less-than optimum feeling when you’re staring at May on the calendar.

So, I covered the bones in water, snapped on the lid, and let everything cook on high for four hours. Then I set it to low and went to bed.

When I tell you that I woke up to the most beautiful stock I have ever seen, please believe me. It was dark and flavorful and amazing.

I immediately knew that a soup was in order, so I decided to try a recipe I had my eye on that uses lots of fresh veggies—all of which just happened to be in my fridge.

This comes from the blog, “Tornadough Alli.” You can find the original post at https://tornadoughalli.com/olive-garden-chicken-gnocchi-soup/. I added tons more garlic and some other seasoning in my version.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chicken gnocchi soup is a creamy, Italian-style soup that features tons of flavor from fresh vegetables, lots of garlic, chicken and soft, pillowy gnocchi.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword black pepper, carrots, celery, chicken, chicken broth, chicken stock, creamy soup, garlic salt, gnocchi, minced garlic, onion, parsley, spinach

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion diced
3 to 4 medium carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
16- ounce package potato gnocchi
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
3 teaspoons dried parsley
garlic salt and pepper to taste
1 pound chicken cooked and shredded
1 cup fresh spinach chopped
1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.
Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots and celery, and saute until the onions are translucent.
While your veggies cook, boil the gnocchi according to package instructions, drain it, and set it aside.
When the vegetables are cooked through, add in the garlic and saute for just a couple of minutes.
Stir in the flour, and let it cook for about a minute before adding the chicken broth and milk to the pot, stirring well. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get any stuck-on goodies mixed in.
Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low to keep it at a simmer, and add in the seasonings, chicken, spinach, gnocchi and corn starch mixture. Stir well, and keep stirring occasionally until all the ingredients are heated through and the soup is just slightly thickened.
Serve.

This was creamy and flavorful and had lots of great textures between the chicken, gnocchi and vegetables. It also made a nice, big pot of soup, so we were able to put some leftovers in the freezer for another night.

And the best part is I still have eight cups of stock in my refrigerator, ready to go into another creation. After seeing how well my crockpot worked out, I’m not sure if I’ll make stock the old way ever again.

This piece first appeared in print on May 4, 2023.

Tags black pepper, carrots, celery, chicken, chicken broth, chicken stock, creamy soup, garlic salt, gnocchi, minced garlic, Olive Garden copycat, onions, parsley, spinach

Main Dish

Stop, chop and (hoagie) roll into this week’s fabulous sandwich

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 23, 2023

The chopped cheese is a regional favorite in New York, and although this version is far from perfect as an “authentic” recreation, it’s still an easy and delicious sandwich, with perfectly cooked ground beef and veggies and lots of melty cheese.

I inadvertently jumped into the middle of a food controversy this week.

Well, really, it was Joey’s fault. He found a video recently of someone making a sandwich called a “chopped cheese,” and because it looked delicious, we decided we needed to give it a try in our own kitchen.

Upon doing some digging, I came upon a 2016 New York Times article by Eli Rosenberg, outlining the debate amongst some New Yorkers about the traditional dish and specifically whether you can make a gourmet version of the sandwich and still call it a true “chopped cheese.”

“The sandwich, also called a chop cheese—ground beef with onions, topped by melted cheese and served with lettuce, tomatoes and condiments on a hero roll,” Rosenberg writes, “has long been a staple of bodegas in Harlem and the Bronx.”

At a normal price point of $4 to $5, that’s a great, cheap meal in New York City.

Now, regardless of any controversy, and knowing we skipped some of the traditional ingredients, Joey and I pushed forward with making our own version of a chopped cheese sandwich. These were so good, we’ve already made them twice.

This recipe was inspired by a video by online creator “Grillnation,” but Joey definitely tweaked everything into its final version.

Chopped Cheese Sandwich

The chopped cheese is a regional favorite in New York, and although this version is far from perfect as an “authentic” recreation, t’s still an easy and delicious sandwich, with perfectly cooked ground beef and veggies and lots of melty cheese.

Course Main Course

Keyword bell pepper, black pepper, cheddar cheese, chop cheese, chopped cheese, fresh mushrooms, garlic salt, ground beef, hamburger, hoagie roll, hot sandwich, minced garlic, New York City, onion powder, paprika, provolone, red pepper flakes, sandwich, sliced cheese, yellow onion

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil we used canola
1 bell pepper any color, sliced
1 small yellow onion sliced
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms sliced
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
4 to 6 cloves garlic minced
4 to 8 slices cheese we used cheddar and provolone
4 hoagie buns toasted

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the bell pepper and onion and saute until they are soft.
Add in the mushrooms, and continue to saute for a couple minutes until they start to cook down.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Split your ground beef into four even parts and flatten each portion to around 1/4-inch thick. Season one side of the patties with half of your seasoning mixture.
Move your veggies to one side of the pan and place the four patties, seasoning side down, into the skillet. Season the patties with the remaining seasoning mixture.
Using your spatula, chop the patties so that they’re in large chunks but still mostly together. Once the patties are nicely browned (it should cook fairly quickly, since the patties are thin), carefully flip them over to the other side.
While the second side cooks, add the minced garlic to the veggies in the pan to give it just a little color.
When the patties are almost done, place one to two slices of cheese on each patty. Add an equal portion of the vegetables on top of the cheese, and then scoop the patties onto a toasted hoagie.
Serve immediately with your favorite burger condiments and fixin’s.

This does reheat pretty well, so if you don’t need four portions when you initially make the chopped cheese, you can always refrigerate the leftovers for later.

The New York Times notes that while the origins of the chopped cheese aren’t completely known, it likely got its start from someone trying to recreate a Philly cheesesteak with some slightly less expensive ingredients.

Regardless, this sandwich makes for a darn good meal, and it’s just enough different from a normal hamburger to break from the routine. Plus, it comes together quickly—and cheaply—which is a nice bonus.

I’m sure any New Yorker who might stumble upon my column would say that I in no way re-created the iconic sandwich in my own kitchen, and they’d probably be right. After all, there’s a lot of flavor that gets imparted from a well-used grill in a small restaurant, but until I manage to travel to the Big Apple to try the real thing, this will just have to do.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 23, 2023.

Main Dish

Make every minute count with easy-to-prepare steaks

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 16, 2023

Minute steaks are super easy to make for a simple, quick dinner. There’s nothing fancy about the meal, but it is a good one to stick to the ribs and satisfy everyone with a home-cooked meal.

Standing at our local butcher recently (shout out to Gillispie Meats in Newton), I spotted a package of minute steaks and quickly grabbed it out of the case.

“I’m getting these,” I excitedly told Joey.

He just shrugged. He’s used to me getting worked up about random ingredients.

Seeing the steaks immediately took me back to my childhood, standing next to my mom while she patiently gave me yet another cooking lesson. I remember being completely appalled at how weird the minute steaks looked when they were dredged in flour, and she laughed at me for my overly dramatic reaction, reminding me that the final product would look very different.

When I was ready to cook these steaks, I gave her a call to confirm exactly what she used to do when she made them. I think she thought I was silly, but she talked me through the process, and I proudly sent her a photo when I was done. (And they were delicious.)

If you’re not familiar with minute steaks, they’re also sometimes referred to as cube or cubed steaks. The Food Network describes them as “an inexpensive, flavorful cut of beef that’s pre-tenderized. It’s taken from the top or bottom round—a tough portion near the rump of the cow.”

That description doesn’t make them sound delicious, but ours made for a darn good dinner.

There is no recipe for me to link back to this week, as this is a tried-and-true method from my mom’s kitchen. She gets all the credit this time.

Minute Steaks

Minute steaks are super easy to make for a simple, quick dinner.There’s nothing fancy about the meal, but it is a good one to stick to the ribs and satisfy everyone with a home-cooked meal.

Course Main Course

Keyword black pepper, cheap meal, cube steaks, cubed steaks, easy meal, garlic salt, minute steaks, pan gravy, quick dinner, simple meal

Ingredients

2 to 4 minute steaks one per serving you’re preparing
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 tablespoons canola oil or butter
milk for pan gravy

Instructions

On a plate, combine the flour, garlic salt and pepper.
Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture, making sure to get them evenly coated.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the steaks and braise both sides for a few minutes—just until they are a light brown.
Pour about 1/4 cup water into the pan and place the lid on top. Let the steaks steam until they are tender. This should take a few minutes. (Check them once the water boils off. Add more water and keep going if they’re still tough.)
Remove the steaks from the pan and place on a plate. If there is still oil or butter in the pan, sprinkle some of the remaining flour from when you dredged the steaks into the pan, whisking until all of the oil is absorbed. If there isn’t any, add about a tablespoon and do the same thing. Whisk the flour for just about a minute to cook out the floury taste, and then carefully add some milk, whisking as you do to avoid lumps. (If you’re not used to making pan gravy, start with adding around 1/4 to 1/2 cup, and then add more, little by little, as it thickens until you get the consistency you want.) Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get any bits of the steak that may still be there.
Once your gravy reaches your desired consistency, serve the steaks, covered in gravy, with your favorite sides. (I always opt for mashed potatoes and green beans.)

These were just as good as I remembered them being. It’s nothing you’re going to win a culinary award for, but minute steaks are just a delicious, hearty dinner. Plus, the whole meal comes together super quickly, which is so nice for nights when you want to have a home-cooked meal but don’t have a lot of time.

If you wanted to get adventurous, you could always add some other seasonings into the flour—cayenne pepper, paprika, etc. Sometimes something really simple is the best meal for me, though.

And this time I didn’t get all grossed out about flour-dredged steaks. I knew what was going to end up on my plate, and as always, my mom was 100 percent right.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 16, 2023.

Tags black pepper, cheap meal, cream gravy, cube steaks, cubed steaks, easy meal, garlic salt, minute steaks, pan gravy, quick dinner, simple meal

Air Fryer Appetizer Side Dish

Fryer lets you ‘air’ in the side of less oil

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date July 23, 2020

Air fryer potatoes are seasoned simply and made using very little oil.

When I first moved out on my own, one of the first items I acquired for my kitchen was a deep fat fryer.

I’m a sucker for anything fried, but I could eat French fries every day and never get sick of them. Joey makes fun of me, because if there is any kind of variation of fries on a menu, he knows I’m probably going to get it.

Philly cheesesteak fries? Yep. Chili cheese fries? Of course. Fajita steak fries? Yes, please.

Of course, using a deep fryer on the regular is a pretty terrible idea, so my well-loved appliance finally went in the donation pile in September. It was time to say goodbye and not give into deep frying temptation.

But then I got my hands on an air fryer, and while I have managed to stay away from the French fries for the most part, getting to make “fried” foods with very little oil has been extremely appealing.

This week, Joey and I were collaborating on a meal. He was cooking the main dish, and I took on our side. After glancing a few times at the bag of yellow potatoes on our counter, I decided it was time to use the air fryer, but since Joey was making pork chops, I figured fries weren’t quite fancy enough, so I turned to the Internet.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “40 aprons” by Cheryl Malik. You can find the original at https://40aprons.com/air-fryer-potatoes/. I changed up her seasonings a bit.

Air Fryer Potatoes

Air fryer potatoes are seasoned simply and made using very little oil.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Keyword air fryer, garlic salt, potatoes, rosemary

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon rosemary

Instructions

Cut the potatoes into about one-inch pieces. You don’t need to peel them unless that’s your preference.
Toss the potatoes in the oil and seasonings until they’re well coated and add them to the basket of the air fryer.
Cook the potatoes on the “fry” setting at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring the potatoes halfway through. Once the potatoes’ outsides are browned and they are fork tender, remove them from the air fryer and serve immediately.

Making these potatoes was really simple, and the flavors and texture were out of this world. The potatoes were soft and creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. It was awesome. Plus, it was so much quicker than making them in the oven, and it didn’t heat up my whole kitchen in the process.

This recipe will definitely be going into my recipe box to make again sometime, and even though they weren’t French fries, they still earned my vote.

I guess I’ll just have to admit I don’t just have a French fries obsession—it’s probably just potatoes in general. But, just like with my deep fat fryer, I’ll have to keep myself in check to keep myself eating healthy.

This piece first appeared in print on July 23, 2020.

Tags garlic salt, potatoes, rosemary